North Delhi water not fit to drink: Survey

Fifty per cent of drinking water supplied to north Delhi is not fit for consumption and is a carrier of cholera, typhoid and jaundice, surveys conducted by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation have found.

Fifty per cent of drinking water supplied to north Delhi is not fit for consumption and is a carrier of cholera, typhoid and jaundice, surveys conducted by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation have found.

On the other hand, people in south Delhi get clean, drinkable water, said a recent survey by the civic body’s south arm and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

The north Delhi corporation said that of 258 water samples taken from all six zones under its jurisdiction — City, Civil Lines, Karol Bagh, Rohini, Sadar Paharganj and Narela — 129 failed the bacteriological exam. Civil Lines, Sadar Paharganj and Narela were found to have the worst water with 100% samples from Narela failing the test.

A report prepared on June 16 added that this led to a corresponding increase in cholera cases. Between May 1 and June 15, the corporation registered 41 cases as against 24 in 2011 and 36 in 2010.

The DJB, however, rubbished the “politically motivated” claim. “The report is misleading because DJB’s own tests show the water meets prescribed standards,” said its spokesperson Sanjam Chima. She added that since the corporation conducted the test without involving the DJB, the source of the water was doubtful.

In May too, the three corporations — east, north and south — had pulled up the DJP, which in turn had insisted its water met WHO standards. The three bodies had collected 116 samples then of which 81 were tagged unfit.